


Everything I Didn't Say

by thedemonkingawakes



Series: 100 Words, 100 Ways [3]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: F/M, Semi-graphic violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-09-10
Updated: 2014-09-10
Packaged: 2018-02-16 20:01:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 888
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2282748
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thedemonkingawakes/pseuds/thedemonkingawakes
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Natasha is faced with the reality of just how fragile life is and she realizes something that she had always known.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Everything I Didn't Say

Natasha watched helplessly as they rushed Clint into the hospital. When she tried to follow, one of the nurses blocked her path.

“I’m sorry, Agent Romanoff, but this is as far as you can go. We’ll let you know if anything changes with your partner.”

Natasha slumped into one of the chairs, all the adrenaline that had filled her since Clint was shot draining out of her. She rested her head in her hands, the moment Clint was shot playing on repeat behind her eyelids.

Several hours later, one of the nurses noticed her still sitting in the uncomfortable waiting room chairs.

“Go home, Agent Romanoff. There’s nothing you can do for your partner tonight.”

“Do they know if he’s going to be okay yet?”

“He’s not out of the woods yet, but he’s doing better.”

“I’m going to stay here.”

The nurse sighed. “The couch over there is a bit more comfortable to sleep on. Blankets are in the closet down the hall along with a first aid kit. Go take care of your own injuries and then get some sleep.”

Natasha stood up, moving on autopilot. As she grabbed the first aid kit and began cleaning and bandaging her cuts, only one thought was running through her head.

_Don’t you dare die on me Barton. I love you._

~*~*~

_Natasha ran through the streets - thankfully, they were mostly empty. Her arms and legs pumped in perfect unison as she ran, dodging overturned cars and potholes. A grenade exploded as she ran past, throwing her into the air. For a brief second, it seemed like she was flying. Then, she crashed to the ground, broken bits of concrete leaving jagged cuts and scratches on her unprotected face and hands._

_Natasha forced herself to her feet and took off running again. Her ankle throbbed and Natasha knew she had probably twisted it, but she ignored it, pushing herself to run faster. Her stride evened out as adrenaline flooded her body, masking the pain._

_Natasha dove underneath a parked car as several droids marched past, wincing when her head hit the ground. As she came to a stop, she caught sight of a bow...Clint’s bow. It was lying carelessly abandoned in the middle of the square. Clint would never voluntarily abandon his bow, of that she was certain. For a moment, her emotions threatened to overwhelm her, but then her training kicked in and she forced them to the back of her mind. A clear, logical mind regarded the square, taking in the droids on the left and the hotels ringing it. Suddenly, Natasha saw a piece of black and purple fabric in a second story window of one of the hotels._

_Bracing herself for the pain, Natasha rolled out from under the car and dashed across the square, scooping up Clint’s bow as she ran by. Slinging the bow across her back, just as she had seen Clint do thousands of times, Natasha climbed up to the broken window with the fabric in it._

_Clint was sitting on the window sill, weaponless, his back to Natasha. His quiver was long gone, the strap having been cut by a knife. His leg was bent at an unnatural angle, obviously broken. A man in a perfectly tailored black suit had a gun trained on Clint’s heart, one he held with the firm, confident grip of a professional. He had a bowler hat pulled low over his face, obscuring it from Natasha’s view. As Natasha watched, he clicked the safety off and placed his finger on the trigger._

_Without pausing to consider the risks of her plan, Natasha did her best to shove Clint to the side with one foot. The shot hit him a few centimeters from his heart, knocking him backwards. Had Natasha not been there, he would have fallen to the cracked pavement below. As it was, Natasha barely managed to push him back into the room. She vaulted over Clint, a gun already in her hand, and fired a single shot straight into the suited man’s heart._

_Holstering her gun, Natasha pulled out her phone and punched in a number._

_“Coulson. Barton’s down. Gunshot to the chest. I can’t move him. We’re on the second floor of the Hotel Davenport.”_

_“Someone should be there in a few minutes.”_

_Natasha hung up. “Please hurry.” She whispered._

~*~*~

One of the hospital nurses gently shook her shoulder, waking her.

“Agent Romanoff? You can see partner now.”

Natasha stood up, the blankets falling in a heap on the couch, and nearly ran down the hall to Clint’s room, not noticing the throbbing in her ankle or how the cuts on her face stung. Reaching his room, she gently pushed the door open.

Clint smiled at her and she almost broke. Natasha could feel a few tears sliding down her cheeks as she walked over and kissed him, not caring who saw.

“I thought I’d lost you.” Natasha said, sinking into one of the chairs by the bed.

Clint intertwined their fingers. “I’m not that easy to get rid of.” Despite his lighthearted comment, his eyes held some of the same fear Natasha felt. “We go together or not at all.”

“What?”

“You and I. We go down together or not at all.”

“вместе или вообще не” (Together or not at all.)

 

 


End file.
